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Dealing with Pests in the Home

The key to dealing with indoor pests is prevention. Pests generally enter buildings in search of food, water and shelter - so if you reduce or eliminate the availability of these elements, and make efforts to reduce access points into your home, you will go a long way in dealing with indoor pests.

General pest prevention measures include:

• Keep food in tightly sealed containers or in the refrigerator.
• Reduce clutter, piled boxes, rolled carpeting, stored paper, etc.
• Empty trash and liners daily and rinse out cans and bottles before recycling.
• Caulk cracks and crevices, which allow pests to enter.
• Trim vegetation that touches a building's exterior.

If these measures do not deal with the problem, then look into more specific information on the pest you are dealing with (see websites below). But make sure from the outset that what you are dealing with is in fact a pest! For example, you may not like having spiders in your home, but they are in fact doing you a service by preying on other insects!

Beyond Pesticides (click on "Info Services - Alternatives Factsheets")

NCAP Alternatives Factsheets